Breaking News "A fine of 1.5 million won in the first trial of Kim Hye-kyung for alleged violation of the election law."

Kim Hye-kyung, the spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was accused of providing meals to former and current lawmakers with a corporate card in Gyeonggi Province during the last presidential election, was fined 1.5 million won in the first trial.

The Suwon District Court today (14th) sentenced Kim Hye-kyung, who was handed over to trial on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, to a fine of 1.5 million won.

The court explained that Bae, the secretary of performance who paid for the meal with a corporate card at the time, made a donation under Kim's acquiescence and that there seemed to have been an implicit connection.

He also said that the donation through Bae, a public official, could harm the fairness and transparency of the election.

Earlier, in the final trial, the prosecution demanded a fine of 3 million won, saying that Kim's crime of trying to buy the spouse of a prominent politician with money was serious regardless of the amount.

In response, Kim denied the allegations, saying he had never been involved in or ordered to do so, and said he would be careful not to make such a case in the future, saying that there are doubts about the payment process for meals.

Kim was put on trial in August 2021, when Lee Jae-myung was running for the presidential election as governor of Gyeonggi-do Province, on charges of paying 104,000 won for meals for six people, including his spouse of former and incumbent lawmakers, with a corporate card in Gyeonggi-do Province.